VIVA/Indonesia to Change the Face of the World

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VIVAnews - Vice President Boediono pointed out Indonesia’s crucial role in the next decades to the members of Muhammadiyah on Thursday. According to the economic professor from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia is in the center of historical movement.

“The UN’s report mentions that in the next few decades, there are four demographic megatrends that will change the face of the world,” Boediono said in his speech during the closing of Muhammadiyah Congress in Jogjakarta on Thursday, July 8.

The four megatrends include the prediction of the number of people in developed countries getting smaller than developing countries. This also explains the possible economic force shift from developed countries to developing countries. The rise of economic giants, China and India, is considered as the sign.

The second trend would be the domination of seniors in the population of developed countries. “This will lead to slow-moving economic growth in developed countries and at the same time, increase demand for immigrant workers,” the vice president said. The implication will be a further improvement in international human movement with social, political, economic and security consequences.

The third trend suggests that the centers of population growth will be concentrated on Muslim countries. “Sixty years ago, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turki each had 242 million people,” Boediono said as reported by the VP’s official website.

In 2009, the total number of people in the six countries had gone four times higher to 886 million. Until 2050, the populations in the countries are predicted to be more than 1.3 billion, which will have a great consequence against global balance.

The last trend estimates that most world populations will live in cities. People will tend to leave rural areas. “Cities like Mumbai, Shanghai, and Jakarta will grow into cities with the highest populations in the world”. The rise in population density will also elicit various urbanization-related issues.

Indonesia will clearly be in the middle of the historical movement when the country is dominated by younger generation aged 16 to 65.

“This decade will be giving a golden opportunity, but also a major challenge,” Boediono said. The transition period will be able to provide what is called a demographic bonus. With younger populations, it will be easier for Indonesia to encourage economic growth.

On the other hand, the change in the demographic structure will bring a massive challenge.

It is predicted that most of the additional populations will live in urban areas and this will greatly affect facility provision. “Urban infrastructures, sanitation, healthcare services will become urgent necessities”. Therefore, anticipating the impacts of these megatrends by creating concrete programs will be a collective duty.

That is why the vice president was asking Muhammadiyah to be the government’s synergy partner considering the fact that the government belongs to the people, including the members of Muhammadiyah. A sense of belonging between the organization and the government is a solid foundation to create a strong teamwork. “Let us together achieve our common goal, improving the welfare of the Indonesians,” Boediono said.